This Monday night the NFL fans will be treated to something special as the prime time schedule will feature a double header. The night cap will highlight the long time rivalry between the Chargers vs. Raiders.

The Raiders are used to playing on Monday Night and in the past they have dominated the prime time stage, but recently the once proud franchise has fallen on hard times. In fact some Raider previews indicate the team is in for a very long year.

However Raider fans have reasons to be optimistic. They will start Carson Palmer at quarterback and will rely on the veteran signal caller to bring stability back to the Raiders offense. Palmer will get help from super star running back Darren McFadden who is healthy and ready to burst on the scene. The Raider’s offense is healthy again and the same could not be said for the Chargers.

Phillip Rivers is back at quarterback but he will be working with a banged up unit. Wide receiver Vincent Brown was lost in the preseason with a broken ankle and they have similar problems at running back.

Ryan Matthews is suffering from an injured shoulder and according to reports on Twitter he is not ready for contact.

Ryan Mathews (shoulder) said there's no plan for when he'll start taking contact."I just got to wait."

With no plans for contact anytime soon, the Chargers will be short handed for this Monday night affair. This is just the start of the problems on offense for the Bolts. Left tackle Jared Gaither and left guard Brandyn Dombrowski are out and Center Nick Hardwick is trying to recover from a concussion.

This will allow the Raiders defense to pressure Rivers and force him into costly mistakes. The Raiders offense will be vastly improved and D-Mac will open up the play-action for Palmer. The Raiders are talented at wide-out and the speed will prevent mismatches for the Chargers.Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

The new Raider defense will be impressive and disguise their schemes and be aggressive with blitzes and that will set the tone early in this game.

The Raiders welcome the Chargers to the Black Hole and send them home with a loss in week one.

You'll
also
receive Yardbarker's daily Top 10, featuring the best sports stories from around the web.
Customize your newsletter to get articles on your favorite sports and teams. And the best part? It's free!